THE ACADEMIC PARAGRAPH

The paragraph is the basic unit of organisation in academic writing. It is a group of related sentences that develop one main idea.

Structure of a paragraph. The academic paragraph can have from two to ten or more sentences. The number of sentences is unimportant; however, the paragraph should be long enough to develop the main idea clearly. The common structure of an academic paragraph looks like this:

NOTE: Each paragraph should have at least a topic sentence and supporting sentences. Not every paragraph you read or write has, or needs, all eight parts; the supporting details, the concluding sentence and the concluding comment are optional.

1. STUDYING AN EXAMPLE ACADEMIC PARAGRAPH

Before starting to write the paragraph it makes sence to examine an example paragraph and identify its structural parts:

· Read the example paragraph.

· Identify the structural parts of the paragraph (introduction, body and conclusion). How many sentences are there in each part?

· Identify the topic sentence (TS), supporting sentences (SS) and supporting details (SD) and the concluding sentence (CS), underline them and mark these parts of the paragraph with symbols TS, SS1+SD, SS2+SD, SS3+SD, CS.

· Does the paragraph have a concluding comment (CC)?

· There are four transition signals used in the paragraph. Can you identify them (e.g. in addition)?

Mountain Climbing

Mountain climbing is a very dangerous sport with special requirements and strict climbing rules. The first requirement is to complete a course in a certified climbing school, where you learn about mountain and safe climbing. It usually takes from two to six months. Another requirement is to wear special clothing appropriate for the season; a helmet and climbing boots complete your outfit. You must also carry special equipment: iron spikes to hammer into cracks for support and special climbing ropes. In addition to special requirements, there are also strict rules for mountaineers. You climb one foothold and handhold at a time and you must give exact commands and responses to your climbing partners. At all times you must be aware of falling rocks, and when you are tired you need to find a ledge to rest on. Most mountain climbers would agree that mountain climbing has many rewards, but to enjoy the rewards fully one must obey the rules of safety.

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 1002